Perfume Classifications

Before going into ingredient typology, we’ll talk about the various perfume classifications which may inform your scent preference and ultimate purchase.

Scents are structured as a make up of either natural or synethetic fragrances, alcohol, and a series of preservatives. However, the concentration of these ingredients dictates a scent’s longevity on your skin ergo informing what kind of fragrance you’ll want.

In order from most to least concentrated:

1. Oils

   • 40%+ concentration lasting 10+ hours

   • This should only be applied to skin and in small quantities

   • Mostly perfume-only manufacturers (E.g. Arabian Oud)

2. Parfum

   • 20-40% concentration lasting 6-8 hours

   • This is where you’ll find most boutique scents (e.g. MFK, Byredo, etc.)

3. Eau de Parfum

   • 15-20% concentration lasting 5-6 hours

   • Most mass luxury scents fall in this category (e.g. Chanel No. 5, Sauvage)

4. Eau de Toilette

   • 5-15% concentration lasting 4-5 hours

   • Most mass luxury scents product both an eau de parfum and toilette to accommodate those that like stronger vs. lighter wear

5. Eau de Cologne

   • 2-4% concentration lasting 2-3 hours

   • Akin to eau de toilette but even softer and more water-based

6. Eau Fraiche

   • 1-3% concentration lasting 1-2 hours

   • This is harder to find in most retail outlets unless your specifically looking for it and is the most water-based

While it’s a spectrum, most will find oils to be too strong for them and eau fraiche too light with the perfect balancing being somewhere between parfum and eau de toilette. This is going to be something you’ll need to test. When you go perfume shopping be sure to test each of these concentrations on different parts of your skin to determine which degree of emanation is to your liking.